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June 2015
What a great turn up there has been to working bees these first few weeks with everyone participating with such energy and enthusiasm. It has been a great mix of skilled helpers and enthusiastic extras prepared to just have a go at anything. Such activity creates a very positive sense of community and provides much camaraderie and sense of achievement for all. The club relies on members to help at working bees to keep the place ship shape, so please try and get down to the club on a Saturday from 9am and stay for a free BBQ at lunchtime.
You should have all received by now information about the review of the club rules. I would encourage any members to attend the Club Forum on Saturday 27 July at 1pm to discuss the proposed changes to the rules. The process to change rules requires a structured voting process, and this will be undertaken as part of our AGM in late July. More details will be provided in next month’s newsletter.
For those members who are heading off to warmer climates for the winter, whether in Australia or overseas, we wish you safe travels, happy holidays and come home to us refreshed and reinvigorated.
Lois Hunt | Commodore
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Xmas in July
To keep everyone in contact during the winter, when sailing and fishing is quiet, it is important to have some social activity around the club. So get out your Xmas decorations and festive spirit, as well as your dancing shoes, and come and join us on Saturday 18 July for our annual Xmas-in-July function. Grab some friends and book a table. We have the return of club members George and Angeline and their band to entertain us.
Activity: Three course meal, live band and dancing
Time: 7pm till late
Costs: Adult $30 | Family $70 | Children 5-18 $10
Tickets: Order tickets through canteen on Saturdays or via email to secretary@williamstownsailingclub.org.au. Numbers must be finalised by Thursday 16 July.
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Volunteer race management training
On a cold bleak Sunday with northerly winds blowing at 25-30 knots Bruce Mansfield, Nick Olliff and Simon van den Berg attended the volunteer race management training program at Sandringham Yacht Club. SYC is training its own members and has graciously extended this at no cost to volunteers from other sailing clubs.
Our first training session, RHIB (rigid hull inflatable boat) induction, was a short theory session on basic rescue safety, key points of RHIB handling which was then followed by an on-water session.
The International Sailing Federation, Yachting Australia and Yachting Victoria are very keen for sailing and yacht clubs and their race management teams to continuously improve their skills and to adopt techniques that are standardised around the world.
Anyone interested in attending the following training sessions should contact our Vice Commodore:
- Start boat procedures
Sunday 21 June 9am-12pm
- ISAF policies
Thursday 16 July 7pm-8pm
- Mark laying/GPS
Sunday 30 August 9am-12pm
- Mark laying/GPS
Sunday 13 Sept 9am-12pm
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Annual General Meeting reminder
The Williamstown Sailing Club’s Annual General Meeting will be held upstairs in the club rooms on Sunday 26 July at 2pm. Find more information on the website.
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New IT system up and running
The Committee of Management would like to send a huge thank you to Su Fraser, who managed the IT project and implementation of all our new computer equipment and software over the last 3-4 weeks. The new system improves reliability, reduce risk of data loss or corruption and will allow for better efficiency around our administration, accounting and other club operations.
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Kayak storage
In response to member requests, and as a possible opportunity to attract new members, the Club will now be offering kayak storage. The Committee has agreed to initially offer six storage places for kayaks. Any members interested in applying for kayak storage should apply in writing, stating the dimensions of your kayak, to secretary@williamstownsailingclub.org.au. Applications will be reviewed by the Committee at their next meeting. The fee for registration and storage of kayaks will be $50 annually.
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Boating safety
On a more sombre note, the tragic death of the three fishermen near Altona on the long weekend is a timely reminder to all our members to take care on the water. Never underestimate the impact of bad weather, winds and rough conditions. If the conditions are not looking good, or deteriorating, please be sensible and head back to shore or safer waters. No catch of fish or exciting sail is ever worth dying for.
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Working bee reminder
Saturdays 9am till 1pm. Free BBQ
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Officer of the Day request – upholstery or furnishing skills
James D’Aquino, one of our very active General Committee members, is organising the re-covering of our pool table. If anyone out there has skills in upholstery or furnishing, James is looking for assistance in doing the pool table corners. If you can help, call him on 0419 597 550.
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Success with funding application
The Club has been awarded funding of $7,785 from the Victorian International Container Terminal Community (VICT) Fund. This program is for community organisations that run activities focusing on children and youth around education, health and development in Hobsons Bay and Port Melbourne Council zones. Thanks to our Projects Officer Su Fraser for managing our application. VICT announced last week that we were one of just three Hobsons Bay based organisations to receive funding.
We will put the funds to work by purchasing three OziOpti training boats and 12 children’s life jackets for the TACKERS training program for summer 2015-16.
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Junior sailing 2015-16
Between the successful White Knight auction in April and the VICT funding we can now purchase our TACKERS Training fleet of six boats, and extra life jackets, without any outlay from the club’s funds. When not being used for training, the OziOptis will be available for our own junior members to sail on Saturday mornings. Next season we will be looking for parents and other more experienced junior members to supervise and get some Saturday OziOpti activity happening. Lois will be the person organising the TACKERS activity for next summer, so talk to her about this anytime.
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Strategic Plan for 2015-17
The Committee has finalised the Strategic Plan for 2015-17 and the plan is now on the website for all members to view. A copy will also be placed on the noticeboard at the Club. A strategic plan gives direction and guidance to the Committee of Management and future committees, around the activities and actions they should focus on. Longer term plans and guidelines assist in better management of the Club and its resources. Even though we are a community club, we need to adopt and practice sound business processes in the way we operate and plan for our future. Our building and jetties are ageing and there are issues around maintenance and future development needs.
An important activity in the new Strategic Plan is to form a committee to explore long term options for the facility. We expect this group to form later this year and we encourage members who have professional skills in engineering, planning, architecture, building and project management to get involved.
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Club finances and fees for 2015-16
At the May Committee meeting, it was voted to increase all club fees by 5 per cent for 2015-16 season. Even though our final results will be positive this year, they have been impacted by a number of one-off ‘wins’ to the bottom line that will not be repeated. This has included a recent refund from our water provider for wrong charges over a 10-year period, the funds raised by the auction of the donated White Knight yacht and our recent success with the VICT funding. The club facilities are ageing, and repairs and maintenance are increasing our expenses. The Committee manages the club funds in a very responsible and sensible manner, targeting the purchase of items that improve club amenities and facilities to service members. To protect and build our financial resources for future requirements, the club must continue to manage our financial resources sensibly.
Membership fees for 2015-16
- Senior $168 (ordinary) | $268 (sailing)
- Family $335 (ordinary) | $535 (sailing)
- Junior (under 18) $84 (ordinary) | $132 (sailing)
- Pensioner $84 (ordinary)
Other fees
- Boat registration $102
- Boat storage $84
- Locker $42
- Kayak storage & registration $50
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